TALLAHASSEE — The deadline for entering The Florida Bar’s 61st Media Awards competition is extended to Friday, July 8, 2016. The prestigious awards and cash prizes are presented annually to recognize outstanding journalism that highlights the system of law and justice as it affects the people of Florida.

News media that have made a significant effort to inform the public about the delivery or quality of justice are invited to enter. Download the 2016 Media Awards Entry Form. Work submitted for consideration may include news stories, series, features, editorials, blogs, documentaries, columns, special sections—anything produced by a news organization—that deals with law and lawyers, courts, law enforcement, the delivery of legal services, the effectiveness of the justice system, and the work of the organized Bar or related matters. Entries must have been published or produced between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2015. All Florida media organizations, large or small, are encouraged to enter. Awards will be given in four categories: Print, Television, Radio, and Online. Judging criteria are not based on the greatest amount of resources used, but whether those resources available are used well and to the fullest extent in the tradition of outstanding journalism.

The awards will be presented by the president of The Florida Bar at the annual Reporters’ Workshop dinner on Sept. 19 in Tallahassee. Reporters receiving first-place awards will take home $500, and those receiving second place will get $250. If multiple reporters are bylined on a winning entry, the cash award will be divided evenly among them. Reporters who choose not to accept the monetary prizes may opt to make a donation to the First Amendment Foundation. All winning reporters and their media outlets will receive plaques.